Conservation photographs, tools, molds, and materials
[upper left] Plaster leg treatment photograph
[upper right] Brushes, Cotton, Bamboo skewer, Spatula, Paint brush, Jar with plaster, and Acrylic paints
[above] Plaster castings
[below] Pretreatment photograph
L2021.0201.002.01-.08, .018, .019
Conservation Assessment and Treatment
Conservation helps to preserve objects for long term storage and viewing in exhibitions. This may include cleaning, reassembling broken or detached parts, consolidating lifting paint, inpainting losses, and sometimes even recreating missing parts. All conservation work is intended to be reversible or re-treatable in order to facilitate the ongoing preservation of the object. SFO Museum conservators performed a thorough assessment of the United Air Lines DC-8 model and developed a plan to address the model’s condition problems. First, the model was thoroughly cleaned. Then conservators were able to address the numerous original components of the model that had detached. These included interior bulkheads, windows, parts of figurines, and sections of furniture. Conservators found the original locations of the detached components and reattached them with adhesive. In some cases, an original segment of a passenger figurine, such as an arm or leg, had detached and could not be found. A number of furniture pieces were also missing, including an entire row of three seats. Because the figures of the passengers were used multiple times in the interior, it was possible to take molds from intact figures in order to recreate the lost pieces on other figures. The missing pieces were then cast in plaster, attached to the original figures or seats, and painted to match the color scheme.
![United Air Lines Douglas DC-8 cutaway model aircraft [exterior] late 1950s](/sites/default/files/01_DC_8_model_sfom_0.jpg)
![United Air Lines Douglas DC-8 cutaway model aircraft [exterior] late 1950s](https://www.sfomuseum.org/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/01_DC_8_model_0.jpg?itok=3_0Dnl4b)
